Trojans uprooted by Stanford in five-set thriller

If games could be won in the first half of play, then women’s volleyball might have left the Galen Center with a remarkable victory over a conference-leading opponent.

After a near perfect start, even in the face of adversity, USC never closed out the match — they instead saw a great Stanford team do it for them.

The Trojans fell to Stanford 3-2 on Wednesday, even after taking the first two sets of the match without standout senior Skylar Fields active in the contest.

“Stanford was a little bit more polished and a little bit more mature than we were,” Head Coach Brad Keller said. “I thought that we lost our identity at times and we had to get it back. It caught us off guard, and when you go five sets, it costs you.”

USC came out swinging, with 18 kills in the first set. Four each were attributed to the palms of freshman outside hitter Jordan Wilson, senior opposite Emilia Weske and sophomore middle blocker Katelyn Smith.

Tied at 18, Weske made an incredible dig to keep the play in sequence before Smith hammered down a go-ahead kill off an assist from sophomore setter Mia Tuaniga. The Trojans did not surrender the lead for the rest of the set, finishing off the opening game 25-23.

USC jumped ahead despite committing 13 total errors, compared to Stanford’s eight. That figure was countered in part by the Cardinal’s complete absence from the net early in the game. The visitors did not record a single block, let alone a block attempt, in the opening set. 

That element of the game would change as it progressed, but Tuaniga made sure to set up the offense at the net early.

“I had a lot of confidence going to every hitter because everything was open,” Tuaniga said. “They’re a pretty big team. They’re really tall, so it was trying to find ways [to score] with my hot hitter and who’s doing well — like Jordan [Wilson] was doing really well this whole game.”

With Fields inactive with a lower leg injury, the freshman Wilson assumed the role of USC’s premier scoring option. The product out of Phoenix led the team with 21 kills on 50 attempts (.240) with nine errors. 

“It’s a huge responsibility, but I really do own up to it,” Wilson said. “Skylar [Fields] is a huge factor within our team, but we are still able to be a great team without her as she recovers.” 

The Trojans enjoyed their biggest lead of the night in the second set thanks to a team-low .208 attack percentage from Stanford. Little attack success and a couple of service errors from the Cardinal helped put USC ahead 20-13, but a subsequent four-point run from Stanford tightened things up. 

On set point, Wilson and graduate MB Kalyah Williams double blocked Cardinal redshirt junior OH Caitie Baird to win set two 25-21.

What could have been a decisive third set became a dramatic back-and-forth between two Pac-12 Conference foes. Seven lead changes in set three characterized the awakening of Stanford and its takeover of the game. 

AVCA All-America second team senior OPP Kendall Kipp started to catch fire with five kills in the third set alone. With its No. 1 scorer contributing, the Cardinal offense secured the team’s first set win 25-22.

While the Trojans held their opponent down for most of the fourth set, Stanford’s big hitters proved too much for the USC defense down the stretch.

Baird quickly erased her team’s 16-15 deficit with three straight kills in succession. When USC controlled the ball not long after, Tuaniga went on a three-score run as a server, including two emphatic service aces, but that only brought the Trojans as close as 22-20.

After a quick back-and-forth, USC’s Wilson had the serve leading 23-22 — just two points away from upsetting the Pac-12 leading and No. 8 in the nation Cardinal.

However, in a three point sequence, the 6-foot-5 opposite Kendall Kipp hammered down a kill to tie the game at 23, then served consecutive aces to steal set four 25-23.

“Kendall Kipp is a national team caliber type of player,” Keller said. “[She’s] playing at a higher level — physically higher level — than anybody else. Kipp is surrounded by a really good group, she has a really good setter, so she’s able to really grow as a player.”

In the blink of an eye, USC’s 2-0 lead was erased and it was headed for a first-to-15 final set.

An 8-2 run from the visitors to start the fifth all but put the game away, as Stanford was able to close out the Trojans 15-9 to complete the comeback victory.

USC, on a three-day turnaround from its last game, was unable to field its best player and ultimately suffered one of its most dramatic losses of the season in front of a home crowd.

Keller said that having a Wednesday game for the first time this season had a major impact on the decision to sit Fields, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, because of a shorter recovery window.

“Skylar [Fields] has a lower leg injury that’s day-to-day,” Keller said. “It was a game-time decision for her, and we chose what we chose. Hopefully we did the right thing for her health and longevity.”

The Trojans will cap off a four game homestand with a match against UC Berkeley on Saturday. The Golden Bears are 0-14 in conference play this season, but Keller will not allow his team to underestimate its opponent.

“They’re not what Stanford is, but it doesn’t matter,” Keller said. “Sam [Crosson] and that staff is incredible. They have physical pins and they can play the game at a super high level. They’re desperate for a win, which makes them the most dangerous team in the conference.”